1. No category

No Time to Lose
147 S T UDIE S SUPP ORTING PUBLIC HE ALTH AC TION TO REDUCE
ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIM AL S*
1. Antibiotic resistance
and why it occurs
Health professionals in training learn the basics of antibiotic
resistance summarized, for example, in Levy (1999, 2002),1,2
Tenover (2006)3 and Courvalin (2006).4
© 2012 Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. All rights reserved.
As science evolves, it has become clear that resistance is fundamentally an ecological problem, spread via bacteria mutating
or acquiring resistance from environmental reservoirs and
then thriving.5,6,7,8,9 Promiscuous bacteria can swap genetic
“determinants” of resistance with other, often unrelated
bacteria in the environment, between and within hospitals
and communities, on farms, and in the guts of animals and
humans.7,10,11 Mothers may pass antibiotic-resistant bacteria
from their own gut into their children.12
To expend energy for resistance genes, bacteria must derive
some advantage. That advantage is explained by the huge
volume of antibiotics used, and the selection pressure it
exerts.13 Pharmaceutical sales data (2010) collected by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicate more than 80
percent of U.S. antimicrobials, over 29 million pounds, are
sold for use in animal agriculture;14 90 percent are added to
water or animal feed not to treat sick animals but to promote
growth, feed efficiency, or to control disease in otherwise
healthy animals being raised in crowded or unhygienic
conditions that promote disease.15 Exposure to antibiotics
changes the microbial ecology in the animal gut, as it does in
humans.16
Selection for resistant bacteria is now known to occur at
antibiotic concentrations hundreds of times lower than
those previously thought significant;17 the lower levels of
antibiotics put into animal feed compared to injections for
sick animals therefore offer little basis for complacency. New
science suggests feed antibiotics also can spur the spread of
resistance by promoting new genetic mutations, which can
give rise to it,18 as well as by promoting the transfer among
gut bacteria of genes (including, potentially, antibiotic resistance genes) via phages.19 Transformation from benign to
dangerous, multidrug-resistant bacteria can happen quickly,
since resistance to a dozen or more drugs often sits—physically linked—on the same strand of transferable DNA.20
2. Why should we care?
There are rising numbers of disease-causing bacteria for
which few, if any, antibiotics exist that might be effective
treatments, nor are such treatments being newly developed.21
*Prepared, in part, from a bibliography by
the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition, of
which IATP is a founding member.
I N S T I T U T E F O R A G R I C U LT U R E A N D T R A D E P O L I C Y
Written by Jenny Li and David Wallinga, MD, October 2012
2105 First Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA iatp.org
An estimated 900,000 antibiotic-resistant infections occur
yearly, including 94,000 infections and 18,650 deaths from
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) alone.22,23
Ten-fold more MRSA infections afflict children in U.S. hospitals than in 1999.24 Resistant infections generally cause more
and longer hospitalizations—costing $18–29,000 per patient
to treat—and more deaths.25,26 Resistant infections cost $20
billion annually in direct treatment costs,19 with an additional
$35 billion or so in missed work or other costs to society.23
More resistant infections mean more patients now receive
antibiotics previously held in reserve that may be less potent
or convenient, or inherently more toxic—like vancomycin.27
Ever-strengthening science—hundreds of studies to date—ties
the spreading epidemic of resistant infections in humans to
routine antibiotic use in food animals. This is a select summary
of that science, across several critical strands of evidence. (Web
links indicate freely available studies; PubMed.org abstracts
indicate non-public studies.)
Medical experts and public health agencies therefore agree:
Routine antibiotic use in food animal production likely
worsens the epidemic of resistance and action must be taken
to reduce it. 28,29,30,31
■■ Marshall BM, Levy SB. Food animals and antimicrobials:
impacts on human health. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2011
Oct;24(4):718-33. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00002-11.
■■ Silbergeld EK, Graham J, Price LB. Industrial food animal
production, antimicrobial resistance, and human health.
Annu Rev Public Health. 2008;29:151-169.
Reviews four reasons why agricultural antimicrobial use
is a major driver of resistance globally: agriculture is the
primary use of antimicrobials; much of agricultural use
results in subtherapeutic exposures for bacteria; drugs of
every important clinical class are utilized in agriculture; and
humans are exposed to resistant pathogens via consumption of animal products, and via widespread release into
the environment.
■■ Barza M. Potential mechanisms of increased disease in
humans from antimicrobial resistance in food animals.
Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34(Suppl 3):S123-125.
Summarizes five mechanisms by which resistance may
adversely affect human health—two of which directly
relate to animal antibiotic use. Available at http://cid.
oxfordjournals.org/content/34/Supplement_3/S123.full.
Additional studies
3. Connecting animal agriculture
and antibiotic resistance
■■ Aarestrup FM, Wegener HC, Collignon P. Resistance in
bacteria of the food chain: epidemiology and control
strategies. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2008;6(5):733-750.
Our favorite review article of bacterial resistance due to antimicrobial use in food animals, and its transferability to humans.
■■ Cogliani C, Goossens H, Greko C. Restricting antimicro-
bial use in food animals: lessons from Europe. Microbe
Magazine. 2011;6(6):274-279.
A review showing that nontherapeutic use of antibiotics in
livestock results in greater selection pressure for resistance
genes. Available at http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/news/
press_room_34_846139138.pdf.
■■ Love DC, Davis MF, Bassett A, et al. Dose imprecision and
■■ Collignon P. Antibiotic resistance in human Salmo-
nella isolates are related to animal strains. Proc Biol
Sci. 2012;279(1740):2922-2923. Available at http://rspb.
royalsocietypublishing.org/content/279/1740/2922.long.
resistance: free-choice medicated feeds in industrial food
animal production in the United States. Environ Health
Perspect. 2011;119(3):279-283. Available at http://ehp03.
niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.1002625.
■■ Hammerum AM. Enterococci of animal origin and their
■■ Jackson CR, Lombard JE, Dargatz DA, et al. Prevalence,
significance for public health. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012
Jul;18(7):619-25.
species distribution and antimicrobial resistance of
enterococci isolated from US dairy cattle. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2011;52(1):41-48.
■■ Davis MF, Price LB, Liu CM, et al. An ecological perspective
on U.S. industrial poultry production: the role of anthropogenic ecosystems in the emergence of drug-resistant
bacteria from agricultural environments. Curr Opin
Microbiol. 2011;14(3):244-250.
Fecal enterococci isolated from 122 dairy cattle operations
demonstrated widespread resistance, highest percentage
to lincomycin (92.3%), flavomycin (71.9%) and tetracycline
(24.5%).
Rampant use of antibiotics in industrial food animal
production has led to both an increased pressure on
microbial populations as well as alterations of the ecosystems where antibiotics and bacteria interact.
2
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Diarra MS, Rempel H, Champagne J, et al. Distribution of
antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in Enterococcus spp. and characterization of isolates from broiler
chickens. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010;76(24):8033-8043.
Sixty-nine enterococci isolated from nine commercial
poultry farms were analyzed for antibiotic susceptibility. Multidrug resistance of public health significance
was evident in E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates, most
commonly of the phenotype Bac Ery Tyl Lin Str Gen Tet
Cip. Available at http://aem.asm.org/content/76/24/8033.
long.
■■ Kohanski MA, DePristo MA, Collins JJ. Sublethal antibi-
otic treatment leads to multidrug resistance via radicalinduced mutagenesis. Mol Cell. 2010;37(3):311-320.
Exposed to sublethal doses of antibiotics, such as are put
into animal feed, cell production of radical oxygen species
(ROS) occurred, leading to increased rate of mutation in
E. coli. Such mutations potentially could confer resistance,
including to antibiotics different from those being administered. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/
article/pii/S1097276510000286.
■■ Haenni M, Saras E, Châtre P, et al. vanA in Enterococcus
faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus
casseliflavus detected in French cattle. Foodborne Pathog
Dis. 2009;6(9):1107-1111.
This study proves Enterococcus bacteria in French cattle
continued to acquire glycopeptide (VanA)-resistant genes
a decade after the glycopeptide, avoparcin, was banned
as a feed additive. Because French calves are recurrently
exposed to antibiotics, it may signify glycopeptide resistance is reemerging due to co-selection via physical linkage
of resistance genes for glycopeptide and other antibiotics.
■■ Lynne AM, Kaldhone P, David D, et al. Characterization
of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg isolated from food animals. Foodborne
Pathog Dis. 2009;6(2):207-215.
Seventy-two percent of 58 S. enterica serovar Heidelberg
isolates from food animals displayed resistance, with 24
percent resistant to eight or more antimicrobial agents.
Tetracycline resistance was the most commonly observed.
■■ Price LB, Lackey LG, Vailes R, et al. The persistence of fluo-
roquinolone-resistant Campylobacter in poultry production. Environ Health Perspect. 2007;115(7):1035-39.
Indicates fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Campylobacter
may persist as contaminants of poultry products after
on-farm FQ use has ceased. FDA’s ban on FQ use in poultry
may be insufficient to reduce FQ-res Campylobacter in
poultry products. Available at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/
article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.10050.
■■ Garcia-Migura L, Liebana E, Jensen LB, et al. A longitu-
dinal study to assess the persistence of vancomycinresistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) on an intensive
broiler farm in the United Kingdom. FEMS Microbiol Lett.
2007;275(2):319-325.
Avoparcin, an antibiotic feed additive related to vancomycin,
was used and then banned in Europe. Seven years post-ban,
Van-res E. faecium persist in multiple broiler flocks from
two UK production facilities, 99 percent of them resistant
to at least five antibiotics.
■■ Gilchrist MJ, Greko C, Wallinga DB, et al. The potential
role of concentrated animal feeding operations in infectious disease epidemics and antibiotic resistance. Environ
Health Perspect. 2007;115(2):313-316. Available at http://
ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.8837.
■■ Miranda JM, Guarddon M, Mondragon A, et al. Antimicro-
bial resistance in Enterococcus spp. strains isolated from
organic chicken, conventional chicken, and turkey meat:
a comparative survey. J Food Prot. 2007;7(4):1021-1024.
Enterococcus bacteria from organic and conventional
chicken and turkey meat in Spain were tested for resistance to eight different antibiotics. Bacteria counts were
higher on organic chicken meat, but resistance and multidrug resistance was higher in isolates from conventional
chicken or turkey meat than from organic chicken.
■■ Kieke AL, Borchardt MA, Kieke BA, et al. Use of strepto-
gramin growth promoters in poultry and isolation of
streptogramin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from
humans. J Infect Dis. 2006;194(9):1200-1208.
Examines virginiamycin use in poultry and its effect on
cross-resistance to quinupristin-dalfopristin, another
streptogramin intended for treating vancomycin-resistant
E. faecium infections in humans. “[C]ontinued use of
virginiamycin may increase the potential for streptogramin-resistant E. faecium infection in humans.” Available
at http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/194/9/1200.full.
■■ Angulo FJ, Nargund VN, Chiller TC. Evidence of an associ-
ation between use of antimicrobial agents in food animals
and antimicrobial resistance among bacteria isolated
from humans and the human health consequences of
such resistance. J Vet Med B. 2004;51:374-379.
Veterinary review states “[A] review of outbreaks of Salmonella infections indicated that outbreaks caused by antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella were more likely to have a
food animal source than outbreaks caused by antimicrobial-susceptible Salmonella.” Available at http://www.colby.
edu/biology/BI402B/Angulo%20et%20al%202004.pdf.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS3
■■ Gupta A, Fontana J, Crowe C, et al. Emergence of multidrug-
resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Newport infections resistant to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins in
the United States. J Infect Dis. 2003;188(11):1707-1716.
CDC investigation into a multi-state outbreak found exposure to a dairy farm or food contaminated from the farm
was the major risk factor for acquiring multidrug-resistant
Salmonella infection. Available at http://jid.oxfordjournals.
org/content/188/11/1707.full.
■■ Swartz MN. Human diseases caused by foodborne patho-
gens of animal origin. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34(Suppl
3):S111-S1122.
Evaluates the likelihood that emergence of several resistant strains of bacteria occurred first in animals rather than
humans. Reviews studies that correlate antimicrobial use
on farms to the occurrence of colonization and infection of farm workers and residents of the surrounding
communities. Discusses the trend in antibiotic resistance
in commensal microorganisms and their opportunistic
infection of hospitalized patients. Available at http://cid.
oxfordjournals.org/content/34/Supplement_3/S111.full.
■■ Vellinga A, Van Loock F. The dioxin crisis as experiment
to determine poultry-related Campylobacter enteritis.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2002;8(1):19-22.
Poultry was withdrawn in Belgium in June 1999 after a
contaminant was found in feed. By using the ban as an
epidemiologic tool, the rate of Campylobacter infections
attributable to poultry was determined to be greater than
40 percent. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC2730260.
■■ Engberg J, Aarestrup FM, Taylor DE, et al. Quinolone and
of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens. Resistance
genes can be transferred from animal bacteria to human
pathogens in the intestinal flora of humans.
Studies On Farms Comparing Animals
Fed and Not Fed Antibiotics
■■ Mirzaagha P, Louie M, Sharma R, et al. Distribution and
characterization of ampicillin- and tetracycline-resistant
Escherichia coli from feedlot cattle fed subtherapeutic
antimicrobials. BMC Microbiology. 2011;11:78.
E. coli were isolated from cattle fed or not fed subtherapeutic levels of chlortetracycline, chlortetracycline and
sulfamethazine (SMX), or virginiamycin over 9 months.
Results: Administering chlortetracycline alone can lead
to emergence of resistance to SMX, and to other antibiotics including ampicillin and chloramphenicol. Multidrug
resistant strains were more frequently isolated from steers
fed multiple, as opposed to single, antibiotics. Available at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103423/.
■■ Jackson CR, Lombard JE, Dargatz DA, et al. Prevalence,
species distribution and antimicrobial resistance of
enterococci isolated from US dairy cattle. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2011;52(1):41-48.
Enterococci from 700+ fecal samples from 122 dairy cattle
operations demonstrated widespread resistance, with
the highest percentage of resistant isolates to lincomycin
(92.3%), flavomycin (71.9%) and tetracycline (24.5%).
■■ Morley PS, Dargatz DA, Hyatt DR, et al. Effects of restricted
antimicrobial exposure on antimicrobial resistance in
fecal Escherichia coli from feedlot cattle. Foodborne
Pathog Dis. 2011;8(1):87-98.
macrolide resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli:
resistance mechanisms and trends in human isolates.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(1):24-34.
Among E. coli collected from two feedlot cattle populations raised with and without antibiotics, no difference was
found in resistance.
Review of macrolide and quinolone resistance in Campylobacter strains and tracking of the resistance trends in
human clinical isolates in relation to use of these agents
in food animals. Good synopsis of when antibiotics were
licensed in many countries (for food animals) with a bar
graph depicting resistances in many countries. Available at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2631682/.
■■ Davis MA, Besser TE, Orfe LH, et al Genotypic-pheno-
typic discrepancies between antibiotic resistance
characteristics of Escherichia coli isolates from calves
in management settings with high and low antibiotic
use. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011 May;77(10):3293-9.
Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC3126435/?tool=pubmed.
■■ Aarestrup FM. Occurrence, selection and spread of resis-
■■ Alexander TW, Inglis GD, Yanke LJ, et al. Farm-to-fork
tance to antimicrobial agents used for growth promotion
for food animals in Denmark. APMIS Suppl. 2000;101:1-48.
characterization of Escherichia coli associated with
feedlot cattle with a known history of antimicrobial use.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2010;31;137(1):40-8.
■■ van den Bogaard AE, Stobberingh EE. Antibiotic usage in
animals: impact on bacterial resistance and public health.
Drugs.1999;58(4):589-607.
This review article finds that use of antimicrobial growth
promoters greatly influences the prevalence of resistance
in animal bacteria and poses a risk factor for emergence
4
Compared to control animals fed no antibiotics, prevalence of amp- and tet-resistant E. coli was three-fold and
four-fold greater, respectively, in feces from cattle fed diets
containing chlortetracycline plus sulfamethazine.
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Harvey R, Funk J, Wittum TE, et al. A metagenomic
approach for determining prevalence of tetracycline
resistance genes in the fecal flora of conventionally raised
feedlot steers and feedlot steers raised without antimicrobials. Am J Vet Res. 2009 Feb;70(2):198-202.
Comparing feedlot steers raised conventionally and
without antibiotics, the prevalence of fecal samples with
11 tet-resistant genes was significantly higher in the former
(35/61, or 57%) than in the latter (16/61, or 26%).
■■ Vieira AR, Houe H, Wegener HC, et al. Association between
tetracycline consumption and tetracycline resistance
in Escherichia coli from healthy Danish slaughter pigs.
Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2009 Jan-Feb;6(1):99-109.
Study demonstrated the longer the time since the last
administration of tetracycline, the lower the likelihood of
isolating a tet-resistant E. coli from a pig’s intestinal tract.
■■ Ladely SR, Harrison MA, Fedorka-Cray PJ, et al. Develop-
ment of macrolide-resistant Campylobacter in broilers
administered subtherapeutic or therapeutic concentrations of tylosin. J Food Prot. 2007;70(8)1945-1951.
Chickens fed subtherapeutic and therapeutic doses of
tylosin tested positive for resistant bacteria, but no resistant
strains were found among tylosin-free flocks. Increased
tylosin resistance was associated with birds given subtherapeutic relative to therapeutic doses.
Pathogens Newly Tied to Food
Animal Production – MRSA
■■ Price LB, Stegger M, Hasman H, et al. Staphylococcus aureus
CC398: host adaptation and emergence of methicillin
resistance in livestock. MBio. 2012;3(1):e00305-e00311.
Reviewed factors associated with the high prevalence of livestock-associated MRSA in Dutch pork and veal production;
herd treatment with antimicrobials appears to pose a risk.
■■ Broens EM, Espinosa-Gongora C, Graat EA, et al. Longi-
tudinal study on transmission of MRSA CC398 within pig
herds. BMC Vet Res. 2012;8(1):58.
Longitudinal study of two Danish and four Dutch pig herds
finds that livestock-associated MRSA CC398 is endemic
and able to spread and persist in herds. Use of antimicrobials as well as the age of pigs is found to affect transmission rates. Available at http://www.biomedcentral.com/
content/pdf/1746-6148-8-58.pdf.
■■ Cuny C, Friederich AW, Witte W. Absence of livestock-
associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
clonal complex CC398 as a nasal colonizer of pigs
raised in an alternative system. Appl Environ Microbiol.
2012;78(4):1296-1297.
Nasal swabs of 178 pigs and 89 humans working on 25
pig farms not using antibiotics failed to detect livestockassociated ST398 previously found in conventional farm
settings.
■■ Kadlec K, Feßler AT, Hauschild T, et al. Novel and
uncommon antimicrobial resistance genes in livestockassociated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012;18:745-755.
Analysis of resistance genes among livestock-associated
MRSA (LA-MRSA) isolates reveals most were located on
multiresistance plasmids. Co-selection enables LA-MRSA
to both receive and donate multiple antimicrobial resistance genes with other Gram-positive organisms.
■■ Köck R, Loth B, Köksal M, et al. Persistence of nasal coloniza-
tion with livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pig farmers after holidays from pig
exposure. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012;78(11):4046-4047.
Whole genome sequence typing of 89 isolates from 19
countries suggests livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) CC398 most likely
originated as methicillin susceptible S. aureus in humans
and jumped to livestock where it acquired tetracycline and
methicillin resistance. Available at http://mbio.asm.org/
content/3/1/e00305-11.long.
Among 35 pig farmers already colonized with LA-MRSA,
colonization persisted among 59 percent even during
periods of prolonged absence with the majority spending
7–14 days away from pig contact.
■■ Waters AE, Contente-Cuomo T, Buchhagen J, et al. Multi-
■■ Richter A, Sting R, Popp C, et al. Prevalence of types of
drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in US meat and
poultry. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(10):1227-1230. Available at
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/10/1227.full.
Additional studies
■■ Bos ME, Graveland H, Portengen L, et al. Livestock-asso-
ciated MRSA prevalence in veal calf production is associated with farm hygiene, use of antimicrobials, and age of
the calves. Prev Vet Med. 2012;105(1-2):155-159.
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in turkey
flocks and personnel attending the animals. Epidemiol
Infect. 2012;10:1-10.
Among turkey farms in Germany, 18/20 (90%) flocks and
22/59 turkey workers (37.3%) tested positive for MRSA.
Livestock-associated MRSA (CC 398) was detectable in
most flocks. Available at http://journals.cambridge.org/
action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8488404.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS5
■■ Weese JS, Hannon SJ, Booker CW, et al. The preva-
lence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
colonization in feedlot cattle. Zoonoses Public Health.
2012;59(2):144-147.
percent from ground pork and 11 percent from ground
beef were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent. One
sample was MRSA positive.
■■ Mendes RE, Smith TC, Deshpande L, et al. Plasmid-borne
vga(A)-encoding gene in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 recovered from swine and a swine
farmer in the United States. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis.
2011;71(2):177-180.
Screening in four feedlots in Alberta, Canada of 491 feedlot
cattle shortly before slaughter failed to isolate any MRSA.
■■ Alt K, Fetsch A, Schroeter A, et al. Factors associated with
the occurrence of MRSA CC398 in herds of fattening pigs
in Germany. BMC Vet Res. 2011;7:69.
Over half (152/290) of German finisher pig farms tested
positive for MRSA. All isolates were resistant to tetracycline. Farm size was strongly correlated with risk of
MRSA (OR 5.4). Available at http://www.biomedcentral.
com/1746-6148/7/69.
Reports on a new vga(A) found in livestock-associated
MRSA in U.S. swine and swine farmers.
■■ Pu S, Wang F, Ge B. Characterization of toxin genes and
antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus
isolates from Louisiana retail meats. Foodborne Pathog
Dis. 2011;8(2):299-306.
■■ Cavaco LM, Hasman H, Aarestrup FM. Zinc resistance
152 S. aureus isolates, including 22 MRSA, isolated from
Louisiana retail meat, were analyzed for antimicrobial
susceptibility, as well as the prevalence of enterotoxin and
exotoxin genes.
of Staphylococcus aureus of animal origin is strongly
associated with methicillin resistance. Vet Microbiol.
2011;150(3-4):344-348.
Among several hundred porcine MRSA CC398 isolates from
Europe and Canada, zinc resistance was observed in 74
percent, nearly all coding for the czrC resistance gene. The
study concludes zinc in animal feed may have contributed
to the emergence of livestock-associated MRSA. Available
at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/7/69.
■■ Golding GR, Bryden L, Levett PN, et al. Livestock-asso-
ciated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
sequence type 398 in humans, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis.
2010;16(4):587-594.
Of 3687 MRSA isolates from persons in two Canadian
provinces, five were identified as livestock-associated
MRSA. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC3321955/.
■■ García-Álvarez L, Holden MT, Lindsay H, et al. Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a novel mecA
homologue in human and bovine populations in the
UK and Denmark: a descriptive study. Lancet Infect Dis.
2011;11(8):595-603. Available at http://www.thelancet.com/
journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2811%2970126-8/
fulltext.
■■ Graveland H, Wagenaar JA, Heesterbeek H, et al. Meth-
icillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in veal
calf farming: human MRSA carriage related with animal
antimicrobial usage and farm hygiene. PLoS One.
2010;5(6):e10990.
■■ Graveland H, Duim B, van Duijkeren E, et al. Livestock-
Human MRSA carriage in veal farmers is strongly associated
with the number of MRSA-positive calves on the farm, and
with intensity of animal contact. Farm hygiene appeared
to lower MRSA prevalence among calves, while antibiotic
use raised it. Available at http://www.plosone.org/article/
info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0010990.
associated
methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus
aureus in animals and humans. Int J Med Microbiol.
2011;301(8):630-634.
This review article summarizes information about livestockassociated MRSA in Europe, China and North America. It
concludes that MRSA control in animals should include
farm hygiene and reductions in antimicrobial use, both of
which contribute to MRSA occurrence on farms.
■■ Harper AL, Ferguson DD, Leedom Larson KR, et al. An
overview of livestock-associated MRSA in agriculture. J
Agromedicine. 2010;15(2):101-104.
■■ Kelman A, Soong YA, Dupuy N, et al. Antimicrobial suscep-
Summary of presentations at a 2009 Iowa conference
elucidating the picture of livestock-associated MRSA in the
American Midwest.
tibility of Staphylococcus aureus from retail ground meats.
J Food Prot. 2011;74(10):1625-1629.
Among retail meats purchased in Washington, D.C. from
March to August of 2008, 56 percent of 196 ground turkey
samples, 28 percent of 198 ground beef samples and 12
percent of 300 ground pork samples tested positive for S.
aureus. Concludes that S. aureus in retail ground meats is
not uncommon, and all S. aureus from ground turkey, 89
6
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INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
JA. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus in food products: cause for concern or complacency. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2010;16(1):11-15.
■■ Kluytmans
A review of an emerging sequence type of MRSA ST398,
which has been isolated from various food animals observes
that in a recent U.S. study, S. aureus contamination was
found in 39.2 percent of retail meats and in that group 5
percent was MRSA. The spread of ST398 from animals to
humans needs to be monitored as the potential threat from
the retail food reservoir has widespread potential implications on human health. Available at http://onlinelibrary.
wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.03110.x/full.
■■ Weese JS, Reid-Smith R, Rousseau J, et al. Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) contamination of
retail pork. Can Vet J. 2010;51(7):749-752.
Among 402 samples of retail pork from four Canadian
provinces, MRSA was isolated in 31 samples; 39 percent
(12/31) were the most common Canadian epidemic clone,
CMRSA, widely identified in horses and horse personnel
but not in pigs. Thirty-two percent or 10/31, belonged
to spa 539/t034, a clone associated with food animals
internationally. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC2885117/.
■■ Köck R, Harlizius J, Bressan N, et al. Prevalence and
molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among pigs on German farms
and import of livestock-related MRSA into hospitals. Eur J
Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2009;28(11):1375-1382.
■■ van Belkum A, Melles DC, Peeters JK, et al. Methicillin-
resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus
sequence type 398 in pigs and humans. Emerg Infect Dis.
2008;14(3):479-483.
Reports that MRSA ST398, primarily a pathogen of pigs,
appears to be quite virulent and can cause bacteremia in
humans. States that if MRSA ST398 obtains this pathogenicity, care should be taken not to introduce this strain into
humans. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC2570802/.
■■ van Loo I, Huijsdens X, Tiemersma E, et al. Emergence
of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of animal
origin in humans. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13(12):1834-1839.
Reports a new animal-associated MRSA strain that has
entered the human population and is accounting for greater
than 20 percent of all MRSA in the Netherlands. As most
nontypable MRSA isolates are resistant to doxycycline, the
spread of MRSA may be facilitated by the abundant use of
tetracyclines in pig and cattle farming. Available at http://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2876750/.
Pathogens Newly Tied to Food Animal
Production – ExPEC E coli ■■ Bergeron CR, Prussing C, Boerlin P, et al. Chicken as
reservoir for extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli
in humans, Canada. Emerg Infec Dis. 2012;18(3):415-421.
Among hospital patients admitted with MRSA sequence
type ST398, independent risk factors include pig, cattle
contact. MRSA-carrying pigs were identified on 70 percent
of 40 German pig farms, all ST398. Available at http://www.
springerlink.com/content/d07291v16185374t/.
Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains cause
more than 85 percent of the several million community
acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) annually. Comparison of E. coli from humans with UTIs and from animals
in slaughterhouses suggests ExPEC from the latter—most
probably chickens—could be causing UTIs. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/3/11-1099_article.htm.
■■ Nemati M, Hermans K, Lipinska U, et al. Antimicrobial
■■ Manges AR, Johnson JR. Food-borne origins of Esch-
resistance of old and recent Staphylococcus aureus
isolates from poultry: first detection of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant strain ST398. Antimicrob Agents
Chemother. 2008;52(10):3817-3819.
Finds that among S. aureus isolated from chickens in the
1970s compared to healthy chickens in 2006, resistance
levels to eight of the drugs tested were significantly
greater in 2006 samples. Available at http://aac.asm.org/
content/52/10/3817.full.
■■ van Rijen MM, Van Keulen PH, Kluytmans JA. Increase
in a Dutch hospital of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus related to animal farming. Clin Infect Dis.
2008;46(2):261-263.
Among Dutch patients identified as having had exposure to
pigs or veal calves, up to 32 percent in some hospitals were
positive for MRSA. Available at http://cid.oxfordjournals.
org/content/46/2/261.full.
erichia coli causing extraintestinal infections. Clin Infect
Dis. 2012.
A review suggesting many ExPEC strains responsible
for UTIs, sepsis, and other extraintestinal infections may
be transmitted from food animals or the food supply to
humans, especially antimicrobial-resistant ExPEC.
Additional studies
■■ Johnson TJ, Logue CM, Johnson JR. Associations
between multidrug resistance, plasmid content, and
virulence potential among extraintestinal pathogenic and
commensal Escherichia coli from humans and poultry.
Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2012;9(1):37-46.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS7
Using antimicrobial susceptibility profiles for over 2202
human and avian E. coli isolates, this study finds that in
ExPEC E. coli, multidrug resistance is most commonly
associated with plasmids, and these are frequently found
in E. coli from poultry production systems.
■■ Tadesse DA, Zhao S, Tong E, et al. Antimicrobial drug
resistance in Escherichia coli from humans and food
animals, United States, 1950–2002. Emerg Infect Dis.
2012;18(5):741-749. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.
gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358085/.
■■ Vieira AR, Collignon P, Aarestrup FM, et al. Association
between antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli
isolates from food animals and blood stream isolates
from humans in Europe: an ecological study. Foodborne
Pathog Dis. 2011;8(12):1295-1301.
Antimicrobial resistance in E. coli from human blood
stream infections strongly correlates with that in E. coli
from poultry and pigs in 11 European countries.
■■ Xia X, Meng J, Zhao S, et al. Identification and antimicro-
bial resistance of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia
coli from retail meats. J Food Prot. 2011;74(1):38-44.
Among nearly 1300 E. coli isolated from ground beef,
turkey, chicken breasts and pork chops, about 16 percent
overall were identified as ExPEC, including 23.5 percent of
those in ground turkey and 20.2 percent in chicken breasts.
■■ Xia X, Meng J, McDermott PF, et al. Escherichia coli from
retail meats carry genes associated with uropathogenic
Escherichia coli, but are weakly invasive in human bladder
cell culture. J Appl Microbiol. 2011;110(5):1166-1176.
A small proportion of E. coli isolates from retail meats carry
uropathogenic associated virulence genes and therefore
may serve as a reservoir of these genes to uropathogenic
E. coli in the human intestine.
■■ Vincent C, Boerlin P, Daignault D, et al. Food reservoir for
Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections. Emerg
Infect Dis. 2010;16(1):88-95.
The design of this study was to see if a food reservoir exists
for E. coli that may cause UTIs. Sampling for E. coli from
2005 to 2007 comprised of clinical UTI samples, retail
meats and restaurant/ready-to-eat foods. Upon comparison of these collected isolates by molecular methods, the
authors report that E. coli identified from retail chicken
and other food sources are identical or nearly the same as
those from human UTIs. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874376/.
■■ Gow SP, Waldner CL, Harel J, Boerlin P. Associations
between antimicrobial resistance genes in fecal generic
Escherichia coli isolates from cow-calf herds in western
Canada. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Jun;74(12):3658-66.
8
Sixty-five percent of 207 E. coli isolates from cow-calf
herds in western Canada were resistant to at least one
antimicrobial. Patterns in this research suggest that
when a bacterium acquires resistance to one antimicrobial, it likely becomes resistant to others because of the
transfer of mobile genetic elements that harbor regions of
multiple drug resistance. Available at http://aem.asm.org/
content/74/12/3658.full.
■■ Smith SP, Manges AR, Riley LW. Temporal changes in
the prevalence of community-acquired antimicrobialresistant urinary tract infection affected by Escherichia coli clonal group composition. Clin Infect Dis.
2008;46(5):689-695.
Reports on UTIs from 1,667 patients over the course of
six years. E. coli specimens were collected and characterized by molecular methods. Twelve percent of human UTI
samples collected were found to be from a specific group,
which from previous work has been shown to include E.
coli collected from food animals or retail poultry products. The collected human isolates were also shown to
be resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole at a rate of
49 percent. The authors suggest that contaminated food
products may be a source of drug resistant UTIs. Available
at http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/5/689.full.
■■ Smith JL, Fratamico PM, Gunther NW. Extraintestinal
pathogenic Escherichia coli. Foodborne Pathog Dis.
2007;4(2):134-163.
Given that ExPEC in meat may represent a new class of
foodborne illness, this USDA study reviews various aspects
of ExPEC prevalence, virulence, zoonotic properties and
diseases association with it.
■■ Johnson JR, Kuskowski MA, Menard M, et al. Similarity
between human and chicken Escherichia coli isolates in
relation to ciprofloxacin resistance status. J Infect Dis.
2006;194(1):71-78.
Resistant E. coli in humans appears to have a profile
similar to that of resistant E. coli collected from chickens,
suggesting that the use of antimicrobials in poultry production is leading to resistant E. coli that are being transferred
to humans, possibly though contaminated meats. Available at http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/194/1/71.full.
■■ Ramchandani M, Manges AR, DebRoy C, et al. Possible
animal origin of human-associated, multidrug-resistant, uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Clin Infect Dis.
2005;40(2):251-7.
In response to a multistate outbreak of drug resistant UTI
infections, the authors examined E. coli from animals
and found the identical strain supporting the view that
the bacteria were transmitted from animal to people
through food. Available at http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/
content/40/2/251.full.
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Manges AR, Johnson JR, Foxman B, et al. Widespread
The largest sampling of retail pork to date found 64.8
percent with S. aureus and 6.6 percent with MRSA. 26.5
percent of MRSA had spa types associated with MRSA
ST398. Available at http://www.plosone.org/article/
info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0030092.
distribution of urinary tract infections caused by a multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli clonal group. N Engl J Med.
2001;345(14):1007-1013.
Studies community UTIs in the U.S. caused by E. coli
resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as well as
other antibiotics. Concludes that UTIs may be caused by
contaminated foods, as the outbreaks appear to follow
a pattern similar to that of E. coli O157 as they spread
throughout a community. Available at http://www.nejm.
org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011265.
Additional studies
■■ Aslam M, Diarra MS, Checkley S, et al. Characterization of
antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in Enterococcus spp. isolated from retail meats in Alberta, Canada.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2012;156(3):222-230.
E. faecalis was found in over 94 percent of poultry samples,
about 73 percent of beef and 86 percent of pork samples.
Resistance to three or more antimicrobials was more
common in E. faecalis from chicken and turkey (91%) than
from pork (45%) or beef (14%). Resistance to aminoglycosides, macrolides, tetracyclines, streptogramin, bacitracin
and lincosamide were most common.
Transmission of resistance via retail meat
■■ Cohen Stuart J, van den Munckhof T, Voets G, et al.
Comparison of ESBL contamination in organic and
conventional retail chicken meat. Int J Food Microbiol.
2012;154(3):212-214.
Retail chicken contaminated with ESBL-producing bacteria
likely contributes to the increasing incidence of human
infection with these bacteria.
■■ Hammerum AM, Lester CH, Heuer OE. Antimicrobial-
resistant enterococci in animals and meat: a human
health hazard? Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2010;7(10):1137-46.
■■ Zhao S, Blickenstaff K, Bodeis-Jones S, et al. Comparison
of the prevalences and antimicrobial resistances of
Escherichia coli isolates from different retail meats in
the United States, 2002 to 2008. Appl Environ Microbiol.
2012;78(6):1701-1707. Available at http://aem.asm.org/
content/early/2012/01/06/AEM.07522-11.full.pdf+html.
■■ Hayes JR, McIntosh AC, Qaiyumi S, et al. High-frequency
recovery of quinupristin-dalfopristin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates from the poultry-production
environment. J Clin Microbiol. 2001;39(6):2298-2299.
Among E. faecium isolated from a poultry production
environment, the extent of resistance found to quinupristin-dalfopristin, a drug reserved for human use to
treat vancomycin-resistant enterococci, ranged from 51
percent to 78 percent. Available at http://jcm.asm.org/
content/39/6/2298.full.
■■ Dutil L, Irwin R, Finley R, et al. Ceftiofur resistance in Salmo-
nella enterica serovar Heidelberg from chicken meat and
humans, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16(1):48-54.
From 2003 to 2008, ceftiofur, a 3rd-generation cephalosporin antibiotic, was removed from extra-label use in
chicken hatcheries in Québec, coinciding with a dramatic
decrease in ceftiofur resistance in S. Heidelberg and E.
coli in retail chicken and a similar decrease in resistance
in S. Heidelberg infections in humans. Reintroduction of
ceftiofur into hatcheries in 2007 caused a rise in ceftiofur
resistance in E. coli, but at lower levels than those seen in
2003-04. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC2874360/.
■■ Salmonella Heidelberg ceftiofur-related resistance in
human and retail chicken isolates. Ottawa, Ontario: Public
Health Agency of Canada; 2009. Available at http://www.
phac-aspc.gc.ca/cipars-picra/heidelberg/heidelberg-eng.
php (2007 report); http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cipars-picra/
heidelberg/heidelberg_090326-eng.php (2009 update).
■■ Aarestrup FM, Hendriksen RS, Lockett J, et al. International
spread of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Schwarzengrund
in food products. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13(5):726-731.
■■ Zhao S, White DG, Friedman SL, et al. Antimicrobial resis-
tance in Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg isolates
from retail meats, including poultry, from 2002 to 2006.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008;74(21):6656-6662.
This study of 581 Salmonella enterica serotype Schwarzengrund isolates from persons, food and food animals
suggests the bacteria pass from chickens to persons in
Thailand, and from imported Thai food products to persons
in Denmark and the United States. Available at http://www.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738437.
From more than 20,000 retail meat samples over four years,
the FDA finds that multidrug-resistant strains of S. enterica
serotype Heidelberg were common isolates. Available at
http://aem.asm.org/content/74/21/6656.long.
■■ O’Brien AM, Hanson BM, Farina SA, et al. MRSA in conven-
■■
tional and alternative retail pork products. PLoS One.
2012;7(1):e300092.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS9
■■ Parveen S, Taabodi M, Schwarz JG, et al. Prevalence and
Salmonella was highly prevalent in more than 88 percent
and over 84 percent of 480 pre- and post-chill whole
chicken carcasses, respectively. 79.8 percent were resistant
to at least one antimicrobial; 53.4 percent to three or more.
Review article finding that Campylobacter is higher in
organic compared to conventional broiler chickens at
slaughter, but not in retail chicken. However, Campylobacter from conventional retail chicken was more
likely ciprofloxacin-resistant. Also, bacteria isolated from
conventional food animal production exhibit higher levels
of antibiotic resistance.
■■ Skov MN, Andersen JS, Aabo S, et al. Antimicrobial drug
■■ Berrang ME, Ladely SR, Meinersmann RJ, et al. Subthera-
antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella recovered from
processed poultry. J Food Prot. 2007;70(11):2466-2472.
resistance of Salmonella isolates from meat and humans,
Denmark. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13(4):638-641.
Comparison of more than 8,000 isolates from meat in
Denmark shows higher rates of resistance, including multidrug resistance, in Salmonella from imported vs. domestic
meat. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC2725957/.
■■ White DG, Zhao S, Sudler R, et al. The isolation of antibi-
otic-resistant Salmonella from retail ground meats. N Engl
J Med. 2007;345(16):1147-1154.
Salmonella were isolated from 41 out of 200 (20%)
of samples of ground chicken, pork, beef, and turkey
purchased in Washington, DC. Eighty-four percent of
Salmonella were resistant to one or more antibiotics; 53
percent were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Sixteen
percent were resistant to ceftriaxone, drug of choice for
treating salmonellosis in children. Available at http://www.
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa010315#t=article.
■■ Logue CM, Sherwood JS, Olah PA, et al. The incidence
of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella spp. on freshly
processed poultry from US Midwestern processing plants.
J Appl Microbiol. 2003;94(1):16-24.
Sixteen percent of samples taken from processed turkey
plants in the Midwest over the course of a year detected
Salmonella, which in turn demonstrated varying levels of
antimicrobial resistance. The most common resistance
was seen to tetracycline, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole
and ampicillin. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
doi/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01815.x/full.
■■ Thakur S, Zhao S, McDermott PF, et al. Antimicrobial
resistance, virulence, and genotypic profile comparison
of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated
from humans and retail meats. Foodborne Pathog Dis.
2010;7(7):835-844.
Campylobacter from humans and retail meats showed
limited overlap, suggesting retail meat is not a unique route
of Campylobacter transmission.
■■ Young I, Rajić A, Wilhelm BJ, et al. Comparison of the
prevalence of bacterial entero-pathogens, potentially
zoonotic bacteria and bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in organic and conventional poultry, swine and
beef production: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Epidemiol Infect. 2009;137(9):1217-1232.
10
peutic tylosin phosphate in broiler feed affects Campylobacter on carcasses during processing. Poult Sci.
2007;86(6):1229-1233.
Erythromycin is often the drug of choice for treating
campylobacteriosis, while the similar macrolide antibiotic,
tylosin, is FDA-approved in chicken feed at subtherapeutic
levels to promote growth. In this feeding study, where
chicks were raised with or without tylosin, it was found that
tylosin in feed results in lower numbers of Campylobacter,
but those remaining were erythromycin-resistant. Available at http://ps.fass.org/content/86/6/1229.full.
■■ Nannapaneni R, Story R, Wiggins KC, et al. Concurrent
quantitation of total Campylobacter and total ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter loads in rinses from retail
raw chicken carcasses from 2001 to 2003 by direct plating
at 42°C. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005;71(8):4510-4515.
Demonstrated a reservoir of Campylobacter resistance
in U.S. retail chicken. Available at http://aem.asm.org/
content/71/8/4510.long.
■■ Price LB, Johnson E, Vailes R, Silbergeld E. Fluoroquino-
lone-resistant Campylobacter isolates from conventional
and antibiotic-free chicken products. Environ Health
Perspect. 2005;113(5):557-560.
Finds that while Campylobacter contamination does not
significantly differ in poultry raised conventionally versus
antibiotic-free, the former were more likely to harbor
bacteria that were antibiotic-resistant. Available at http://
ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.7647.
■■ Jakobsen L, Kurbasic A, Skjøt-Rasmussen L, et al. Esch-
erichia coli isolates from broiler chicken meat, broiler
chickens, pork, and pigs share phylogroups and antimicrobial resistance with community-dwelling humans and
patients with urinary tract infection. Foodborne Pathog
Dis. 2010;7(5):537-547.
Specific E. coli phylogroups which are the main cause of
UTIs in Denmark, also exist in E. coli samples of animal
origin, such as from broiler chicken meat, pork meat,
chickens and pigs. Animal isolates have similar antibioticresistance patterns as those collected from UTI patients and
community-dwelling humans, suggesting that food animals
and meat may be a source of such isolates to humans.
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Hannah EL, Johnson JR, Angulo F, et al. Molecular analysis
■■ Schroeder CM, White DG, Ge B, et al. Isolation of anti-
of antimicrobial-susceptible and -resistant Escherichia
coli from retail meats and human stool and clinical specimens in a rural community setting. Foodborne Pathog Dis.
2009;6(3):285-295.
Of 340 antimicrobial-resistant and -susceptible E. coli
isolates from retail meat and human stool in a single
community, nearly 20 percent of meat-source resistant
E. coli represented ExPEC. Resistant isolates from stool
were more similar to resistance isolates from meat than to
susceptible E. coli from stool, suggesting foodborne transmission. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC3186705/.
microbial-resistant Escherichia coli from retail meats
purchased in Greater Washington, DC, USA. Int J Food
Microbiol. 2003;85(1-2):197-202.
Concludes that retail meats often are contaminated with
resistant E. coli. A large portion of samples demonstrate E.
coli resistant to tetracycline (59%), sulfamethoxazole (45%),
streptomycin (44%), ampicillin (35%) and gentamicin (12%).
Transmission via farmers, workers, veterinarians
■■ Gilbert MJ, Bos ME, Duim B, et al. Livestock-associated
MRSA ST398 carriage in pig slaughterhouse workers
related to quantitative environmental exposure. Occup
Environ Med. 2012;69(7):472-478.
■■ Johnson JR, McCabe JS, White DG, et al. Molecular
analysis of Escherichia coli from retail meats (2002–2004)
from the United States National Antimicrobial Resistance
Monitoring System. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49(2):195-201.
Resistant and susceptible E. coli from NARMS retail meats
demonstrated great variance by meat type, with chicken
and turkey isolates having consistently higher virulence
scores than beef and pork isolates. Supports the hypothesis that antimicrobial-resistant E. coli in retail meats
emerge from a host species-specific lineage due to the
direct effect of selection pressure from use of antimicrobials or as part of the organisms’ adaptations to their
respective hosts. Available at http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/
content/49/2/195.full.
Of 341 Dutch pig slaughterhouse workers tested, 3.2
percent carried MRSA, of which 75 percent was the livestock-associated MRSA ST398 strain. Workers at the start
of the slaughter line were at higher risk than those further
down the line.
■■ Smith TC, Male MJ, Harper AL, et al. Methicillin-resistant
Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA) strain ST398 is present in
Midwestern U.S. swine and swine workers. PLoS ONE.
2009; 4(1): e4258.
Prevalence of MRSA was 49 percent in swine and 45
percent in workers in two Midwest swine production
operations. Available at http://www.plosone.org/article/
info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004258.
■■ Smith SP, Manges AR, Riley LW. Temporal changes in
the prevalence of community-acquired antimicrobialresistant urinary tract infection affected by Escherichia coli clonal group composition. Clin Infect Dis.
2008;46(5):689-695.
Among E. coli isolated from 1,667 patients over six years
with UTIs, 49 percent were resistant to trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole at a rate of 49 percent. Twelve percent
were found to be from a specific group previously
collected from food animals or retail poultry products as
well, suggesting contaminated food may be a source of
drug-resistant UTIs. Available at http://cid.oxfordjournals.
org/content/46/5/689.full.
■■ Johnson JR, Sannes MR, Croy C, et al. Antimicrobial drug-
■■ Price LB, Graham JP, Lackey LG, et al. Elevated risk
of carrying gentamicin-resistant Escherichia coli
among U.S. poultry workers. Environ Health Perspect.
2007;15(12):1738-1742.
Poultry workers examined were 32 times more likely to
be colonized with gentamicin-resistant E. coli as community residents. Poultry workers also had an elevated risk
of carrying multidrug-resistant E. coli. Available at http://
ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.10191.
Additional studies
■■ Aslam M, Diarra MS, Service C, Rempel H. Characteriza-
tion of antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus spp.
recovered from a commercial beef processing plant.
Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2010;7(3):235-241.
resistant Escherichia coli from humans and poultry products, Minnesota and Wisconsin, 2002-2004. Emerg Infect
Dis. 2007;13(6):838-846.
Comparison of susceptible and resistant E. coli collected
from hospital patients, healthy vegetarians, and poultry
that were raised conventionally and without antibiotics
suggests many resistant human isolates may originate
from poultry. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pmc/articles/PMC2792839/.
Enterococci bacteria appear prevalent in commercial
beef processing plant settings and include a pool of
resistance genes.
■■
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS11
■■ Garcia-Graells C, Antoine J, Larsen J, et al. Livestock
veterinarians at high risk of acquiring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398. Epidemiol Infect.
2012;140(3):383-389.
7.5 percent of Belgian and 1.4 percent of Danish veterinarians were colonized with livestock-associated MRSA
(ST398), highlighting the importance of preventive
measures.
■■ Bisdorff B, Scholhölter JL, Claußen K, et al. MRSA-ST398
Prevalence of MRSA colonization was 20 percent in
farmers and 45 percent of pigs in Canadian pig farms
studied. Humans residents of MRSA-free pig farms also
were MRSA-negative. Available at http://www.apuabrasil.
org.br/arquivos/veterinaria06.pdf.
■■ Lewis HC, Mølbak K, Reese C, et al. Pigs as a source of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 in
pigs and humans. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008;14(9):1383-1389.
in livestock farmers and neighbouring residents in a
rural area in Germany. Epidemiol Infect. 2011; FirstView
Article:1-9. Available at http://journals.cambridge.org/
abstract_S0950268811002378.
Provides evidence that persons exposed to animals on
farms in Denmark, particularly pig farms, have an increased
chance of being colonized or infected with MRSA CC398.
Available
at
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/9/071576_article.htm.
■■ Graveland H, Wagenaar JA, Bergs K, et al. Persistence
■■ Hanselman BA, Kruth SA, Rousseau J, et al. Methicillin-
of livestock associated MRSA CC398 in humans is
dependent on intensity of animal contact. PLoS One.
2011;6(7):e16830.
resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in veterinary personnel. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12(12):1933-1938.
Livestock-associated MRSA in farmers is strongly related to
intensity and duration of animal contact. The fact that current
LA-MRSA strains poorly colonize most humans is important for MRSA control strategies. Available at http://www.
plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.
pone.0016830.
Reports a comprehensive evaluation of veterinary
personnel for carriage of MRSA. Samples from veterinary personnel volunteers, from 19 different countries,
indicated 6.5 percent were MRSA-positive; among those
working with larger animals, prevalence was 15.6 percent.
Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC3291342/.
■■ Mendes RE, Smith TC, Deshpande L, Diekema DJ, Sader
■■ Huijsdens XW, van Dijke BJ, Spalburg E, et al. Community-
HS, Jones RN. Plasmid-borne vga(A)-encoding gene in
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 recovered from swine and a swine farmer in the United States.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2011;71(2):177-180.
acquired MRSA and pig-farming. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2006;5:26.
■■ van Cleef BA, Graveland H, Haenen AP, et al. Persistence
of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in field workers after short-term occupational exposure to pigs and veal calves. J Clin Microbiol.
2011;49(3):1030-1033.
An estimated 25 to 35 percent of pig and veal calf farmers in
the Netherlands carry MRSA. MRSA-negative field workers
were tested for MRSA before and after visiting MRSA-positive pig and veal farms. Seventeen percent of such visits
resulted in workers converting to MRSA-positive status, but
in most cases, workers lost the MRSA strain within 24 hours.
Available at http://jcm.asm.org/content/49/3/1030.long.
■■ Leedom Larson KR, Smith TC, Donham KJ. Self-reported
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in USA pork producers. Ann Agric Environ Med.
2010;17(2):331-334.
3.7 percent of pork producers selected from the National
Pork Board`s producer database reported being diagnosed
with a MRSA infection. Available at http://www.aaem.pl/
pdf/17331.htm.
Reports a mother and baby who were found to be carriers
of MRSA. A case study followed; finding that the father
was a pig farmer, a screening was done to test coworkers,
pigs, and family members. Three coworkers, eight of 10
pigs and the father were found to be carriers of MRSA.
Molecular characterization of the samples clearly revealed
transmission of MRSA from pigs to humans. These findings
show clonal spread and transmission of MRSA between
humans and pigs in the Netherlands. Available at http://
www.biomedcentral.com/1476-0711/5/26.
■■ Voss A, Loeffen F, Bakker J, et al. Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus in pig farming. Emerg Infect Dis.
2005;11(12):1965-1966.
Study showed transmission of MRSA between pig and
human, between family members, and between a nurse
and patient in a hospital. This is consistent with other
studies that have found pig farmers to be at higher risk
of MRSA. Reports that the frequency of MRSA among the
group of regional pig farmers is more than 760 times higher
than that among the general Dutch population. Available at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367632/.
■■ Khanna T, Friendship R, Dewey C, Weese JS. Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in pigs and
pig farmers. Vet Microbiol. 2008;128(3-4):298-303.
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INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Aubry-Damon H, Grenet K, Sall-Ndiaye P, et al. Antimicro-
bial resistance in commensal flora of pig farmers. Emerg
Infect Dis. 2005;10(5):873-879.
Study compared pig farmers to matched group of nonfarmers and found farmers at greater risk of being colonized with Staphylococcus aureus and at greater risk for
resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Available at http://www.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3323198/.
■■ Akwar TH, Poppe C, Wilson J, et al. Risk factors for anti-
microbial resistance among fecal Escherichia coli from
residents on forty-three swine farms. Microb Drug Resist.
2007;13(1):69-76.
Resistant bacteria were more prevalent among residents or
workers on farms where hogs were fed antibiotics. E. coli
was obtained from 115 residents on 43 farms; 25.8 percent
were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Farmers feeding
antibiotics to animals appear to have a heightened occupational hazard from exposure to resistant bacteria.
■■ van den Bogaard AE, London N, Driessen C, et al. Anti-
biotic resistance of faecal Escherichia coli in poultry,
poultry farmers, and poultry slaughterers. J Antimicrob
Chemother. 2001;47(6):763-771.
A survey of E. coli in poultry and in workers in close contact
with animals strongly supports the transmission of resistant
clones and resistance plasmids of E. coli from broilers and
turkeys to humans. Available at http://jac.oxfordjournals.
org/content/47/6/763.full.
Transmission via the broader
environment (air, water, soil)
■■ McKinney CW, Loftin KA, Meyer MT, et al. tet and sul anti-
biotic resistance genes in livestock lagoons of various
operation type, configuration, and antibiotic occurrence.
Environ Sci Technol. 2010;44(16):6102-6109.
Water samples from the manure lagoons of various livestock facilities (dairy, chicken layer, swine) contained three
to five times higher tetracycline resistance genes than did
sediment samples upstream of such facilities.
■■ Chee-Sanford JC, Mackie RI, Koike S, et al. Fate and trans-
port of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes
following land application of manure waste. J Environ
Qual. 2009;38:1086-1108.
Feeding of antibiotics to food animals disseminates residues into the environment, and also likely leads to antibiotic resistance arising among commensal bacteria in
the animal gut. Applying animal waste to the environment
creates a reservoir of potentially significant antibiotic resistant genes in the area. Available at https://www.agronomy.
org/publications/jeq/articles/38/3/1086.
■■ Gibbs SG, Green CF, Tarwater PM, et al. Isolation of anti-
biotic-resistant bacteria from the air plume downwind of
a swine confined or concentrated animal feeding operation. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(7):1032-1037.
Bacteria isolated from upwind, downwind and inside a
confined hog operation revealed multidrug-resistant
organisms; those inside the facility were most resistant.
Available at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi
%2F10.1289%2Fehp.8910.
Additional studies
■■ West BM, Liggit P, Clemans DL, Francoeur SN. Anti-
biotic resistance, gene transfer, and water quality
patterns observed in waterways near CAFO farms and
wastewater treatment facilities. Water Air Soil Pollut.
2011;217(1-4):473-489.
In measurement of water quality from locations impacted
by confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) compared
to reference sites and sites located upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment facilities, agriculturally
impacted sites had a significantly greater proportion of
isolates that showed resistance to multiple antibiotics.
Available at http://www.nocafos.org/EMUstudy.pdf.
■■ Wittum TE, Mollenkopf DF, Daniels JB, et al. CTX-M-type
extended-spectrum ß-lactamases present in Escherichia
coli from the feces of cattle in Ohio, United States. Foodborne Pathog Dis. 2010;7(12):1575-1579.
Bovine fecal samples were screened for E. coli strains
producing CTX-M, extended-spectrum ß-lactamase
enzymes that allow them to inhibit the antimicrobial
effects of penicillins and cephalosporins. Six percent (3/50)
of fecal samples harbored CTX-M genes. Ceftiofur use in
cattle may provide the selection pressure for CTX-M genes
to disseminate.
■■ Brooks JP, McLaughlin MR. Antibiotic resistant bacterial
profiles of anaerobic swine-lagoon effluent. J Environ
Qual. 2009;38(6):2431-2437.
Selective pressures appear to exert an effect on the
amount of resistant isolates recovered from waste lagoons
on swine farms involving farrowing, nursery and finisher
pigs. Elevated antibiotic use in nursery versus finisher pig
environments correlates with more contamination with
antibiotic-resistant bacteria in manure lagoons for the
former. Available at https://www.soils.org/publications/
jeq/articles/38/6/2431.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS13
■■ Graham JP, Evans SL, Price LB, Silbergeld EK. Fate of anti-
microbial-resistant enterococci and staphylococci and
resistance determinants in stored poultry litter. Environ
Res. 2009;109(6):682-689.
Typical storage practices of poultry litter are not sufficient
for eliminating drug-resistant enterococci and staphylococci, which may then be delivered to the environment
by land application, aerosolization or water contamination
during runoff.
■■ Graham JP, Price LB, Evans SL, Graczyk TK, Silbergeld
EK. Antibiotic resistant enterococci and staphylococci
isolated from flies collected near confined poultry feeding
operations. Sci Total Environ. 2009;407(8):2701-2710.
Lends support to the existence of environmental reservoirs
of resistance including bacteria in the digestive tracts of
flies around poultry operations, and that these could result
in potential transmission to humans. Available at http://
www.jhsph.edu/water_health/_pdf/AntibioticResistantEntero.pdf.
■■ Rule AM, Evans SL, Silbergeld EK. Food animal transport:
a potential source of community exposure to health
hazards from industrial farming (CAFOs). J Infect Public
Health. 2008;1(1):33-39.
Twenty-five percent of air samples collected while
following open-air poultry transport vehicles identified
bacteria resistant to at least one antimicrobial, while all
background samples were susceptible. Available at http://
www.bi-wietze.de/uploads/Eigen/Aktuelles/JHBSPHStudie.pdf.
■■ Koike S, Krapac IG, Oliver HD, et al. Monitoring and source
tracking of tetracycline resistance genes in lagoons and
groundwater adjacent to swine production facilities. Appl
Environ Microbiol. 2007;73(15):4813-4823.
Presents clear evidence that animal waste seeping from
lagoons can spread resistance genes—specifically tetracycline resistance genes—through groundwater contamination. Available at http://aem.asm.org/content/73/15/4813.full.
■■ Sapkota AR, Curriero FC, Gibson KE, Schwab KJ. Anti-
biotic-resistant enterococci and fecal indicators in
surface water and groundwater impacted by a concentrated swine feeding operation. Environ Health Perspect.
2007;115(7):1040-1045.
Reviews risks associated with exposure to manurecontaminated water sources near to industrial swine
operations. Available at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/
info:doi/10.1289/ehp.9770.
■■ Anderson ME, Sobsey MD. Detection and occurrence of
antimicrobially resistant E. coli in groundwater on or near
swine farms in eastern North Carolina. Water Sci Technol.
2006;54(3):211-218.
14
Sixty-eight percent of E. coli from groundwater on swine
farm sites were resistant to at least one antibiotic, while
only one isolate from each of the non-farm reference sites
showed resistance.
■■ Chapin A, Rule A, Gibson K, Buckley T, Schwab K. Airborne
multidrug-resistant bacteria isolated from a concentrated swine feeding operation. Environ Health Perspect.
2005;113(2):137-142.
Ninety-eight percent of bacteria from air samples from
hog CAFOs had resistance to at least two antibiotics used
in animal production and a greater potential for worker
exposure to resistant bacteria, suggesting that exposure to
air from swine operations may allow multidrug-resistant
bacteria to be transferred from animals to humans. Available at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/
ehp.7473.
■■ Kumar K, Gupta SC, Chander Y, Singh AK. Antibiotic use in
agriculture and its impact on the terrestrial environment.
Adv Agron. 2005;87:1-54.
This study finds repeated applications of antibiotic-laden
manure to soils provide an environment in which selection
of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can occur. Available at http://
www.moag.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/5DAE251F-5653-4E3BAD1D-EBA877F69B9A/0/AntibioticuseinagricultureandimpactonterrestrialenvironmentAdvAgron_2005.pdf.
■■ Chee-Sanford JC, Aminov RI, Krapac IJ, Garrigues-Jean-
jean N, Mackie RI. Occurrence and diversity of tetracycline
resistance genes in lagoons and groundwater underlying
two swine production facilities. Appl Environ Microbiol.
2001;67(4):1494-1502.
Determinants of tetracycline resistance were found in hog
manure lagoons, in the groundwater up to 250 meters
downstream from the lagoons, and in the soil microbiota.
Available at http://aem.asm.org/content/67/4/1494.full.
4. Interventions and
effective alternatives
■■ Aarestrup F. Sustainable farming: get pigs off antibiotics.
Nature. 2012;486(7404):465-466.
■■ Sapkota AR, Hulet RM, Zhang G, et al. Lower prevalence
of antibiotic-resistant enterococci on U.S. conventional
poultry farms that transitioned to organic practices.
Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(11):1622-1628.
Enterococci isolated from poultry litter, feed and water
collected from 20 conventional and newly organic poultry
houses leads to the conclusion that voluntary removal of
antibiotics from large-scale poultry farms is associated with
a lower prevalence of antibiotic-resistant and multidrugresistant Enterococcus. Available at http://ehp03.niehs.nih.
gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.1003350.
INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
■■ Berge AC, Moore DA, Besser TE, et al. Targeting therapy to
minimize antimicrobial use in preweaned calves: effects
on health, growth, and treatment costs. J Dairy Sci. 2009
Sep;92(9):4707-14.
This study showed the effect of raising preweaned dairy
calves without routine antimicrobials in the milk was to
save money and improve their health (less diarrhea).
■■ Impacts of antimicrobial growth promoter termination
in Denmark. Report number WHO/CDS/CPE/ZFK/2003.1.
Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2003.
WHO-convened experts concluded the phase out of
antibiotic feed additives by Denmark—the world’s largest
pork exporter—led to an overall drop in antibiotic use by
54 percent, and “dramatically reduced” levels of resistant
bacteria in animals without adversely affecting food safety,
environmental quality or consumer food prices. Available
at
http://www.who.int/gfn/en/Expertsreportgrowthpromoterdenmark.pdf.
Additional studies
■■ Andersson DI, Hughes D. Persistence of antibiotic resis-
tance in bacterial populations. FEMS Microbiol Rev.
2011;35(5):901-911.
■■ Andersson DI, Hughes D. Antibiotic resistance and its
cost: is it possible to reverse resistance? Nat Rev Microbiol.
2010;8(4):260-271.
In environmental reservoirs where resistance to multiple
antibiotics or to antibiotics plus heavy metals often co-exist
and often are physically linked, reductions in the usage of
a limited number of those agents may not quickly and fully
reverse resistance as it can persist.
■■ MacDonald and McBride. The Transformation of U.S.
Livestock Agriculture: Scale, Efficiency, and Risks. USDA
Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-43) 46 pp,
January 2009.
USDA surveys of producers find routine feed antibiotics are
not necessary in many cases. In 2006, 42 percent of broiler
producers don’t use them, and there was no correlation
between size and antibiotic use. In contrast, about 20
percent of small feeder-to-finish hog producers surveyed
in 2004 used routine low dose antibiotics in feed, versus
60 percent of the largest operations. Among pigs, size
matters. Available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib-economic-information-bulletin/eib43.aspx.
■■ Nelson JM, Chiller TM, Powers JH, et al. Fluoroquinolone-
resistant Campylobacter species and the withdrawal of
fluoroquinolones from use in poultry: a public health
success story. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;44(7):977-980.
Reviews the effect on resistance in Campylobacter
following withdrawal of enrofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone,
from use in treating poultry. Concludes “judicious use of
antimicro-bial agents should be stressed to preserve the
efficacy of these important chemotherapeutic agents.”
Available at http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/44/7/977.
long.
■■ Aarestrup FM, Seyfarth AM, Emborg HD, et al. Effect of
abolishment of the use of antimicrobial agents for growth
promotion on occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in
fecal enterococci from food animals in Denmark. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001;45(7):2054-2059.
Observations show that it is possible to reduce the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in a national population
of food animals when the selective pressure is removed.
Cases in which resistance to vancomycin was linked to
resistance to erythromycin were exceptions. In such cases,
resistance did not decrease until the use of both avoparcin
and tylosin was limited. Available at http://aac.asm.org/
content/45/7/2054.full.
■■ Wierup M. The control of microbial diseases in animals:
alternatives to the use of antibiotics. Int J Antimicrob
Agents. 2000;14(4):315-319.
Controlling bacterial infections in farm animals by other
means than antibiotic use includes improved hygiene,
isolation of sick animals, replacing live breeding animals by
semen and embryos, etc.
■■ Wierup M. Preventive methods replaced antibiotic growth
promoters: ten years experience from Sweden. Alliance for
the Prudent Use of Antibiotics Newsletter. 1998;16(2):1-2,4.
Discusses some of the changes made in Swedish methods
for raising farm animals after a ban on the use of antibiotics as
growth promoters; the study also reviews some of the difficulties encountered, and the accomplishments. Also Wierup
M. The Swedish experience of the 1986 year ban of antimicrobial growth promoters, with special reference to animal
health, disease prevention, productivity, and usage of antimicrobials, in Microb Drug Resist.2001;7(2):183-90. Available
at http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/news/16_2a.html.
5. Production and economics
■■ Aarestrup FM, Jensen VF, Emborg HD, Jacobsen E, Wegener
HC. Changes in the use of antimicrobials and the effects
on productivity of swine farms in Denmark. Am J Vet Res.
2010;71(7):726-733.
Despite a more than 50 percent decrease in antimicrobial
use in Danish swine, 1992 to 2008, there was a 14-fold
increase in swine production, increased mean number of
pigs per sow for slaughter, increased average daily gain for
weaning and finishing, and similar mortality rates.
■■ Dritz SS, Tokach MD, Goodband RD, et al. Effects of admin-
istration of antimicrobials in feed on growth rate and feed
efficiency of pigs in multisite production systems. J Am
Vet Med Assoc. 2002;220(11):1690-1695.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS15
Adding antimicrobials to feed leads to a five-percent
improvement in growth rate among nursery pigs, but failed
to improve feed efficiency (the amount of food needed to
result in weight gain) in either nursery or finishing pigs (the
latter 14 to 18 weeks of production). Available at http://
www.avma.org/journals/javma/articles_public/020601_
swine_Dritz.pdf?q=mf2301.
■■ Graham JP, Boland JJ, Silbergeld E. Growth promoting
antibiotics in food animal production: an economic analysis. Public Health Rep. 2007;122(1):79-87.
Using Perdue data, Johns Hopkins University researchers
found antibiotic use can slightly accelerate chicken growth,
but the gain is offset by increased production costs of
about $.01 per chicken. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1804117.
Additional studies
Endnotes
1. Levy SB. The challenge of antibiotic resistance. Sci Am. 1998;278(3):46-53.
2. Levy S. The Antibiotic Paradox: How the Misuse of Antibiotics Destroys their
Curative Powers. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing; 2002.
3. Tenover FC. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. Am J Infect
Control. 2006;34(5 Suppl 1):S3-10. Describes how bacteria become resistant, with
three case examples of resistance arising in hospital settings.
4. Courvalin P. Antimicrobial drug resistance: “prediction is very difficult, especially
about the future.” Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11(10):1503-1506.
5. Antibiotic resistance: an ecological perspective on an old problem. Washington,
DC: American Academy of Microbiology;2009.
6. Hawkey PM, Jones AM. The changing epidemiology of resistance. J Antimicrob
Chemother. 2009;64(Suppl 1):i3-10.
7. Bennett PM. Plasmid encoded antibiotic resistance: acquisition and transfer of
antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria. Br J Pharmacol. 2008;153(Suppl 1):S347-357.
8. Summers AO. Genetic linkage and horizontal gene transfer, the roots of the antibiotic multi-drug resistance problem. Anim Biotechnol. 2006;17(2):125-135.
9. O’Brien TF. Emergence, spread, and environmental effect of antimicrobial resistance: how use of an antimicrobial anywhere can increase resistance to any antimicrobial anywhere else. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34(Suppl 3):S78-84.
■■ McBride, William D., Nigel Key, and Kenneth Mathews.
10. Schjørring S, Krogfelt KA. Assessment of bacterial antibiotic resistance transfer in
the gut. Int J Microbiol. 2011;2011:e312956.
2008. Sub-therapeutic Antibiotics and Productivity in
U.S. Hog Production. Review of Agricultural Economics.
30(2):Summer: 270-288.
11. Shoemaker NB, Vlamakis H, Hayes K, Salyers AA. Evidence for extensive resistance gene transfer among Bacteroides spp. and among Bacteroides and other genera
in the human colon. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2001;67(2):561-568.
■■ Miller GY, Algozin KA, McNamara PE, Bush EJ. Produc-
tivity and economic effects of antibiotics used for growth
promotion in U.S. pork production. J Agr Appl Econ.
2003;35(3):469-482.
Study of growth promoting antibiotics (GPA) in pork
production: “Our results imply that antibiotics used for
growth promotion are of value mainly when four or fewer
different rations are used in finishing.” Available at http://
ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/43146/2/Miller%20
JAAE%20December%202003.pdf.
■■ Engster HM, Marvil D, Stewart-Brown B. The effect of
12. de Vries LE, Vallès Y, Agersø Y, Vaishampayan PA, García-Montaner A, et al. The
Gut as Reservoir of Antibiotic Resistance: Microbial Diversity of Tetracycline Resistance
in Mother and Infant. PLoS ONE 2011 6(6): e21644. The first study to detect a likely
transmission of resistance from mother to infant, via gut bacteria.
13.Albrich WC, Monnet DL, Harbarth S. Antibiotic selection pressure and resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Emerg Infect Dis.
2004;10(3):514-517.
14.Food and Drug Administration, 2010 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold
or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals, Center for Veterinary Medicine,
Accessed September 5, 2012 at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/UCM277657.pdf.
15.Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. Press Statement dated May 25, 2011.
Accessed September 5, 2012 at http://www.louise.house.gov/index.php?option=com_
content&view=article&id=2485:slaughter-says-lawsuit-against-fda-showsgrowing-public-awareness-concern-over-antibiotic-overuse&catid=95:2011-press-releases&Itemid=55.
withdrawing growth promoting antibiotics from broiler
chickens: A long-term commercial industry study. J Appl
Poult Res. 2002;11(4):431-436.
16.Looft T, Allen HK. Collateral effects of antibiotics on mammalian gut microbiomes. Gut Microbes. 2012 ;1;3(5).
Removal of growth-promoting antibiotics from broiler
chickens reduced livability by an average of only 0.2
percent on the Delmarva Peninsula and 0.14 percent in
North Carolina. Livability varied, however, from a reduction of 0.5 percent to a positive impact of 0.3 percent.
Removing growth promoting antibiotics resulted in no
reports of field outbreaks of disease and did not affect
total farm condemnations. Available at http://japr.fass.org/
content/11/4/431.full.pdf.
18.Kohanski MA, DePristo MA, Collins JJ. Sublethal antibiotic treatment leads
to multidrug resistance via radical-induced mutagenesis. Mol Cell. 2010 Feb
12;37(3):311-20.
17. Gullberg E, Cao S, Berg OG, et al. Selection of resistant bacteria at very low antibiotic concentrations. PLoS Pathog. 2011;7(7):e1002158.
19. Allen HK, Looft T, Bayles DO, et al. Antibiotics in feed induce prophages in swine
fecal microbiomes. MBio. 2011 Nov 29;2(6): e00260-11.
20.Summers AO. Generally overlooked fundamentals of bacterial genetics and
ecology. Clin Infect Dis. 2002;34(Suppl 3):S85-92.
21.Boucher HW, Talbot GH, Bradley JS, et al. Bad bugs, no drugs: no ESKAPE! An
update from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;48(1):1-12.
22.Klevens RM, Morrison MA, Nadle J, et al. Invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in the United States. JAMA. 2007;298(15):1763-1771.
23.Roberts RR, Hota B, Ahmad I, et al. Hospital and societal costs of antimicrobialresistant infections in a Chicago teaching hospital: implications for antibiotic stewardship. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49:1175-84 and news release: bioMérieux, Inc. (2009,
October 19). Antibiotic-resistant infections cost the U.S. healthcare system in excess
of $20 billion annually.
24.Herigon JC, Hersh AL, Gerber JS, et al. Antibiotic management of Staphylococcus aureus infections in US children’s hospitals, 1999-2008. Pediatrics.
2010;125(6):e1294- e1300.
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INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY
25. Varma JK, Greene KD, Ovitt J, et al. Hospitalization and antimicrobial resistance in
Salmonella outbreaks, 1984-2002. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11(6):943-946. This review
of Salmonella outbreaks in the U.S. found that outbreaks caused by resistant Salmonella were more likely to cause hospitalization than outbreaks caused by susceptible
Salmonella.
26.Varma JK, Molbak K, Barrett TJ, et al. Antimicrobial-resistant nontyphoidal
Salmonella is associated with excess bloodstream infections and hospitalizations. J
Infect Dis. 2005;191(4):554-561.
27.Livermore DM. Bacterial resistance: origins, epidemiology, and impact. Clin
Infect Dis. 2003;36(Suppl 1):S11-23.
28.U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, Hearing on “Antibiotic Resistance and the Use of Antibiotics in Animal
Agriculture” July 12, 2010. Testimony of Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D., Principal Deputy
Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Testimony of Rear Admiral Ali S. Khan,
M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Surgeon General and Acting Deputy Director, National Center for
Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, Testimony of James R. Johnson, M.D.,
Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society
of America, Testimony of Per Henriksen, D.V.M., Ph.D., Head, Division for Chemical
Food Safety, Animal Welfare, and Veterinary Medicinal Products, Danish Veterinary
and Food Administration, Testimony of John Clifford, D.V.M., Deputy Administrator,
Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of
Agriculture.
http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=hearing/
hearing-on-antibiotic-resistance-and-the-use-of-antibiotics-in-animal-agriculture.
29.Letter from Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., MPH, DZirector, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, November 30, 2010. http://www.livablefutureblog.com/wp-content/
uploads/2010/11/ar-m455n_20101129_182057.pdf.
30.Committee on Emerging Microbial Threats to Health in the 21st Century. Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response. Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press, 2003.
31.Gorbach SL. Antimicrobial use in animal feed—time to stop. N Engl J Med.
2001;345(16):1202-12.
NO TIME TO LOSE: 147 STUDIES SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IN FOOD ANIMALS17